Red Thread Letter #913 Being Here
March 26, 2023
Dear Ones,
The day is bright and long. The road is curving towards places that are uncertain. Yet we are here none the less. I want to honor that here-ness with you, so I wrote a poem to read or listen to under a tree or perhaps cozy on the couch. Take a pause and tune in to BE with wherever you are and whoever you are with in this moment.
I am not going to get into details at this time, there are people in my innermost circle who are walking through portals of suffering. One of the ways I am with them is through Intentional Creativity….by writing poetry and painting. I do it for and with them and also for me so I can metabolize my own experience and be more present for them.
A Ribbon of Hope – Painting in Process by Shiloh Sophia
Tea with the Muse Podcast on Substack: I have two new podcasts – one is the poem below – and the other one is about loving when I am afraid and what I learned from my mama Caron. I post randomly and heartfully on my podcast.
BEING HERE
You made it!
You are here on earth,
with earth, and with us
“Here” is a place we spend our lives
discovering and coming into
When you pause
to comment on the clouds to your lover
amazed at the miracle of sky blue and
white poofs that make you smile
When you point at the moon
to your child, and make the shape
of moon with your lips…
drawing out the mooooooon, like this
When you take a picture of yourself
in a beautiful garden to send to your friend
When you sip this cup of coffee
with something close to reverence
When you ask the Divine for a sign,
even a small one,
just a teensy weensy one
(because you don’t want to be rude)
and an entire person reveals
they are the sign sent!
Then you are practicing
Being Here
Maybe you stopped believing in
the divine order of things
because you mistook the hard stuff
as some kind of lack of affirmation
I don’t know who made up the story
that it shouldn’t be hard here
but clearly that isn’t the case
Just being in a body
requires so much care and
it often hurts to be in here
and it also feels so good too
We were given pain and pleasure
Still…you are here
This is where here is
It is a wild garden of a place,
isn’t it? Who knew?
You aren’t a stranger here
even though it is sometimes strange
to be here, like this
with all our curiosity and confusion
and unmet needs for big love
and our desire to be seen
as we learn to see ourselves
Being here is precious and precarious
but here we are
and I just wanted to
mention that being here with you
is way better
than being here without you
You make here
a wonderful place to be
The first noble truth of the Buddha is that when we feel suffering, it doesn’t mean that something is wrong. What a relief. Finally, somebody told the truth. Suffering is part of life, and we don’t have to feel it’s happening because we personally made the wrong move.”
~ Pema Chödrön, When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times
For those I love and that love me
